


Gradient

by theFlashisBack



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, Platonic Anxiety | Virgil/Creativity | Roman/Logic | Logan/Morality | Patton, Platonic Relationships, Poor Virgil, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, empathy!virgil, faith!deciet, new charcters just for plot purposes, platonic anxciet, sanders sides au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-09-18 12:02:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16994646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theFlashisBack/pseuds/theFlashisBack
Summary: Thomas had many many sides excluding the ones he had shown on screen and he had even met a few of them that preferred to stay off screen. In fact, he had so many aspects of his personality it was easier on the mind to categorize them. For instance, one may use the terms so delightfully put together by Roman himself. Thomas had “Dark Sides” and “Light Sides” there were even a few that fit in between and deemed themselves the “Gradients.”The gradients were outsiders, sides who very few trusted as they did not fit into either group. They were different, complex, and completely unpredictable. This is why so few sides are deemed themselves “gradient.” I mean, who wants to be outcasted by the 80% majority of the mindscape!? Yeah, it's much better to pretend to fit in their petty definitions of "light" and "dark" than to live alone with nobody to lean one. Then again, is it?Oh, did that start to get personal? Sorry, I have a habit of forgetting to stay in third person professional. Harm’s been done now so why even try anymore? My name’s Virgil Empathy Sanders, welcome to my story.





	1. Introduction

Thomas Sanders. Now Thomas Sanders was a man whose mind was as complicated as a motherboard and had more layers than Shrek. Lucky for the people of his fanbase, they were able to make sense of the onion that Thomas is with his outstanding series, “ Sanders Sides.” To them, they got to get to know Thomas better and learn life lessons along with him and the fictional characters he had created. However, that was far from the case. The “Sanders Sides,” were far more real than any of them expected, and way more complex.

Thomas had many many sides excluding the ones he had shown on screen and he had even met a few of them that preferred to stay off screen. In fact, he had so many aspects of his personality it was easier on the mind to categorise them. For instance, one may use the terms so delightfully put together by Roman himself. Thomas had “Dark Sides” and “Light Sides” there were even a few that fit in between and deemed themselves the “Gradients.” 

The gradients were outsiders, sides who very few trusted as they did not fit into either group. They were different, complex, and completely unpredictable. This is why so few sides are deemed “gradient.” It’s not a nice thing to be, different and outcasted from the mind, even ignored by your fellow gradients. Yes, it is much preferable to pose as whatever you feel is closest to who you are without fading or darkening to grey to conform to the society made in Thomas’s mind.  
Oh, did that start to get personal? Sorry, I have a habit of forgetting to stay in third person professional. Harm’s been done now so why even try anymore? My name’s Virgil Empathy Sanders, welcome to my story.


	2. Grey - Galère

The blaring loud alarm woke a peacefully sleeping side with a start. While the side tried to adjust his eyes to the light somehow seeping in through the curtains, he fumbled his left arm around, searching for the atrocious alarm clock making the horrendous noise. After a moment of blind rage, Virgil was awake enough to find the clock and turn it off. Groaning, he rose out of his smooth and strangely cold covers and set foot on the fuzzy rug that surrounded his bed. “Five hours of sleep, not bad Virgil,” He mumbled quietly to himself, grabbing a set of clothing from his closet and stepping into the bathroom.

“Okay brain, don’t pull the bullshit you tried yesterday morning,” Virgil spoke softly to himself as he prepared for his morning shower. His mind had a habit of going on overdrive once the water hit his skin and he did not need that happening today. Or any day for that matter. Because when Virgil started thinking, he did not stop and that is when the overstimulation would kick in. Yeah, Virgil would much rather not thank you very much. The nightshirt came off his shoulders and Virgil shivered as the cold air touched his bare skin. Virgil grabbed a towel from the rack and placed it next to his clothing which was located next to the sink. Overstimulation could not happen today because today was very important. Today, every area of the mindscape was being opened and accessible to every member that made up Thomas’s mind. Today was the one day of the month where it wouldn’t be unusual to be seen in a place you weren’t supposed to be. Today was the anniversary of Virgil’s arrival at the Light Side mind palace.

The world was kind to Virgil that day as no thought came.  
After he finished his shower, Virgil combed out his hair and dried it with a hairdryer. Scowling when the strands sprung up into curls, Virgil pulled out his straightener and got to work. The job was done in ten minutes, allowing for the makeup process to begin. Virgil had gotten bolder with his decisions as of late. The usual dark eyeshadow was replaced with a lighter shade that he blended with a dark shade of purple. Eyeliner was also used in moderation, adding definition to his eye shape that was already fabulously framed by naturally dark eyelashes.

Deeming himself prepared for the day, the side exited his room just as Roman stepped out of his own room. The man looked stressed, face drawn and his seemingly ever-present posture was slumped over as if not an inch in Roman’s body ministered to his self-image anymore. However, that wasn’t to say the prince still did not look absolutely dashing. His hair was done, swept to the side, perfectly parting the fading purple in his hair. His face was washed and makeup was applied, simple eyeliner and concealer most likely the only products used as far as Virgil could tell. Roman’s outfit was pressed and clean, and even the unamused face fit him, he had a regal tone about him, fitting for a prince.

The moment Roman saw Virgil however, the entire look was finished off with an immediate straightening of the back and a huge dumb grin on his face. “Good morning J-Delightful! You’re looking well!” It was startling how quickly the entire mood of the side had changed. Virgil took a step back as Roman strode over in full confidence. “Oh! Good morning Roman!” Virgil could tell something was off. He had been picking it up for days. Roman’s behavior as of late was changing and he was getting more reclusive. If Virgil was being honest, it was worrying him immensely. It wasn’t often that Virgil’s empath abilities would be triggered due to his long experience of suppressing them, so when they did Virgil would be unsettled for days if not weeks if something was not done.

Virgil brushed off the feeling deciding it was something to mention very vaguely to Patton about. Roan was right in front of him, chattering away about a new idea for a video. “So I was thinking we could like, shapeshift into animals or something! Wouldn’t that be fun and entertaining to the fans!?” Roman’s face was similar to the animals he had previously mentioned. Virgil really did not enjoy shapeshift. It made him feel even more out of his skin then he already did. However, he could tell that this idea meant a lot to Roman, “That’s a great idea! We can run it by the other two at breakfast.” Virgil tried to sound as enthusiastic as possible. Roman wasn’t buying it.

“That face says no. IS it really that bad?” Roman’s crestfallen face hurt Virgil more than it should have. Virgil understood the feeling of being shot down all the time. It was horrible, a feeling of solitude and it did nothing to reinforce someone’s self-esteem.  _ Great,  _ Virgil inwardly sighed,  _ I’m gonna be feeling this all day _ .

The thing about Virgil’s powers was that when felt strongly enough, Virgil could pick up on another’s emotions. This would influence the side’s own mental state and he would be stuck in that mood for hours until he felt the issue was completely resolved or if the mental timer ran out. None of these moods lasted over a day.

“It’s not a bad idea at all Roman,” Virgil tried for a save, “ I just don’t enjoy shapeshifting like you and Patton do. But that’s okay! Sometimes we’ve gotta step out of our comfort zones to achieve in life. I’m all in for this idea Roman.” Roman’s face immediately flashed into relief, his shoulders sagged a little and a smile sneaked across his lips. He wrapped his arms lazily around Virgil for a moment before taking his hand and leading him down the hall to the stairs.

“Thanks Virgil, I spent several hours last night perfecting that idea. Your face nearly gave me a heart attack. I’ll try and fit a way for you to be shifted for as little time as possible into the plan, alright?” Virgil hummed in agreement inwardly cringing. He made Roman feel really bad!? He never meant to hurt him or anything! All Roman wanted was to make a nice animal themed video and Virgil had nearly shot it down. He’d have to work on controlling his facial expressions a little more now. Virgil decided he couldn’t afford to have that kind of miscommunication with Roman again.

\------------

The living room was still messy from last night’s movie night, pillows splayed everywhere and four bowls of assorted snacks laying on a table on the floor. Kernels from the popcorn ere strewn across the carpet and movie cd cases were absolutely everywhere. In the midst of all the mess, Patton lay on the couch, playing with one of the dogs Roman had conjured up a while ago. They never were able to find a way to unsummon them so Patton had deemed the three Sirius,  Opal, and Michael and they lived in his room. The one in Patton’s arms was obviously Sirius because of the slightly longer black hair. Sounds from the kitchen announced Logan’s presence most likely making breakfast.

Contrary to popular fan theories, Patton actually can’t cook all that well. It was really Logan and Virgil who made the meals, Logan more often than Virgil. Patton enjoyed baking more and Roman was not allowed to touch the kitchen appliances. Ever.

Virgil made his way around the room, picking up kernels and tossing them into the nearest bowl. Pillows were passed to Roman who, begrudgingly moved to place them back on the shelf put there especially to hold the pillows Patton had deemed for occasions such as last night. Patton put Sirius down and began to help, making small conversation with the two other sides. The topic landed on Disney which ended with Virgil and Roman making what Patton called, “the Disney face,” as it only ever showed up after this argument. 

By this time Logan had finished breakfast and everyone took their seats at the table. Logan retrieved the classic pancakes he had made and Virgil helped him set the table, “So Specs, what’s the plan for today?” Logan looked over to Roman and paused for thought, “Well, Thomas has a day off so I have granted him a clear schedule so by all means, run rampant. If you are speaking in regards to the opening of the mind palace today, I actually wanted to speak to Virgil about it.” Virgil stiffened. Logan hadn’t ever really spoke to him in regards to the event nor had anyone for that matter. They all just seemed to accept that he had shown up one day out of the blue.

“What’s up doc?” Virgil tried to pass off his unease, it wasn’t anything too serious. Sides moved around all the time, they just didn’t usually stay where they ended up. But by no means was it unheard of! Patton put a hand on Virgil’s shoulder, “You okay kiddo? You got really tense.” Virgil nodded quickly and returned his attention to Logan.

“I have several points to make on the subject. First off, isn’t today the anniversary of your arrival in our area of the mindscape, Virgil? Five years I believe.” Roman dropped his fork in shock, gasping dramatically. “Virgil, why didn’t you mention this this morning!? Or previously!? This is an occasion to celebrate!” Virgil shrunk down, glancing at Patton to his left who smiled comforting at him. He wasn’t mad at least. 

“Y-Yeah, it’s year five today. And I don’t really like to talk about it. Sure, it started the train that would take me here, but it’s not like I had a sudden Cinderella story. Honestly, today just makes me think about where I was before a little too much,” Virgil admitted. Patton suddenly grinned, “Well now you’re here where you belong! How about we make this a day where we celebrate where we all are now!?”  _ Bless Patton _ , Virgil thought to himself, T _ he guy knows how to make everybody feel better, huh? _ Unfortunately for Virgil however, the statement just made him feel worse. He didn’t belong here. He never really would and nobody could know.

“That sounds favorable Patton. However, that was not my only subject of discussion. As we know, Virgil did come from the Dark Side mind palace and the experiences were… less than satisfactory. I want to ensure that everyone is aware of the dangers of drifting too far from our area. I also wish to know if Virgil has any advice if anyone does deem it necessary to leave the mind palace today. It seems he does it often enough.”

“W-What do you mean Logan!?”

“There is no need to get aggravated, Virgil. I simply am stating that you do have a habit of slipping off every once in a while when the mindscape opens up.”

Roman turned to Virgil, “I never noticed. Why do you do that?” Virgil took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Logan and Roman just seemed curious, nothing confrontational. Nothing to worry about.

Virgil broke his rule slightly and reached out with his aura. Logan was usually silent but at the moment his mind sent waves of fierce curiosity and something else that Virgil could not pinpoint. Roman sent off waves very similar to Logan's but much calmer. Thankfully the empath picked up nothing hostile. “Just to see some friends that hang out in the neutral areas. Mostly Functions but I do know a few decent Sides that like to keep in touch with.” Logan nodded, content with the answer. Patton squealed with delight.

“You have other friends!? Can we meet them!? It sounds like so much fun!” Patton was positively ecstatic, hands flailing around and breakfast forgotten.

“Yeah, not many. But I’d have to ask them about meeting you guys. A lot of them are nervous when it comes to…” Virgil trailed off. He wasn’t really sure how to convey the concept of the Dark and Light sides as a pair. Especially not in a way that wouldn’t offend Princey. Instead, he remained silent, letting to concept be thrown to the air.

Logan caught it. “Oh, I see. I’m guessing the Sides are Grayscale?” When Virgil nodded Logan spoke again, “That is a reasonable reaction for most to have about us. There haven't been many interactions between the groups due to… uncertainties. But I’m sure you all already know that. Anyways, back to my original question, are there any cautions you could present to us?” The conversation spun on, Virgil answering Logan’s questions with the occasional input from Patton or Roman. When the meal ended, Logan had been contented albeit very curious about why Virgil never fully relaxed from the edge of his seat.

\------------

 

The frantic knock on the door startled Virgil from the text post he had been writing on Tumblr. Deciding it was probably just Roman begging for an idea, he called out, “Come in!” and returned to his laptop. He heard the door shut behind him with no vocal input from whoever had entered.  _ That’s not like Roman… _ Virgil thought as he snapped his head around when footsteps started approaching. Virgil yelped and nearly fell out of his chair as his vision was met with a wall of black and yellow like he was looking into a frame of the Bee Movie. A hand quickly darted out and steadied him as he regained his composure.

“Chill Virge, you did say to come in,” the voice was slow and sounded as if it had slipped from the tongue. It was monotone but held no animosity. In fact, there was faint laughter in the tone, immediately bringing Virgil to ease. “Declan! I didn’t think you were coming over this time! I was going to head out in like, ten.” Declan laughed, small fangs glinting from the table lamp on Virgil’s desk. Moving to sit on Virgi’s bed, he responded.

“I decided to surprise you. You’re worth the discomfort of walking through the other commons. Anyways, you came over to my place the past five times, it’s my turn!” Virgil got up to join the other side. They both sat in silence for a moment, taking in one another’s presence. They hardly got to do this anymore. Declan was far too busy keeping up his reputation in the Dark Sides common and Virgil often was recording on the days Declan was open. It was nothing like the days of their youth, before waking up for the first time physically side by side, surrounded by envoys from every group in the mindscape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Not so bad, huh? This chapter actually didn't take as long as I initially thought it would. Which I guess is a good thing. Anyways I hope you enjoyed and feel free to write down your comments below! I'm always looking to improve my writing skills.


	3. Red - Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Gradient:  
> They both sat in silence for a moment, taking in one another’s presence. They hardly got to do this anymore. Declan was far too busy keeping up his reputation in the Dark Sides common and Virgil often was recording on the days Declan was open. It was nothing like the days of their youth, before waking up for the first time physically side by side, surrounded by envoys from every group in the mindscape.

Life before the ultimate formation for a concept is hard to describe accurately. The sensory section of the experience alone could take days to properly converse. But at the same time, being a concept is unbearably simple to experience. There are no interactions, no real sights to see, not even a mind to think with. But sometimes, a concept can get so close to becoming tangible that they can start to experience this phenomenon of sensations. They develop an instinct, a buzz that can almost be considered emotion. They start gaining the ability to experience companionship with the other concepts that are so close and so far, infinitely distanced away yet right next to them. The period of conceptuality is where Virgil first met Declan.

It wasn’t as if they could talk to one another, they had no mouths to speak with. However, there was a calm understanding of sorts that they wouldn't leave one another's sides. It was a warmth that would stay in the back of their minds long after becoming corporeal. Soon, they would become pretty large influences as concepts went and they began to become aware. Coherent thought was a thing they could have now and their abilities were beginning to form as well. These abilities gave Empathy a way to communicate with Declan. Emotions were translated into one another, passing through a mental link Empathy had created. Faith had little idea how it was possible, but they never really bothered to question it. However, everything changed when an event that would shake Thomas’s life occurred. A dear friend had lied to him, resulting in a horrible mental break down that pulled both Faith and Empathy from the furthest parts of Thomas’s subconsciousness. 

As Faith opened his eyes, the first thing they saw was a person next to him. This person felt so familiar and a warm spot in his chest bloomed. The kid looked like he had been dunked in a bucket of purple paint, everything from the overly large scarf down to his little sneakers was some shade of purple. The purple child was worriedly muttering under his breath as though to try and calm a person down. This sparked a reaction in Faith and he remembered why he was here.  _ Help Thomas _ .  His voice started to overlap with the other side, “She didn’t mean to hurt you, she would never! She’s your friend and you have to trust your friend.” Faith had a feeling he may not be correct, but it couldn’t hurt to comfort the child’s worries, now could it? Eventually, Thomas calmed down enough that Faith and the other child decided to cease speaking to him. Instead, they turned their attention to one another.

“My name’s Empathy, who are you?” The person, now deemed Empathy asked. The name gave Faith full recognition of the other side. That warmth in his chest, their promise, his friend. “I’m Faith, don’t you know me!?” Faith leaped forward and embraced Empathy, happy to finally be able to see him. Empathy returned the embrace after a moment and they stayed like that for a solid ten minutes, basking in the physical sensations of being together. As they hugged, they continued to develop as sides and in influence. Understandings of the world they lived in inside Thomas’s brain entered their own subconsciousness, traits of their identities developed in their brains. Faith realized he was thoughtful, observant, questioning every sentence that came in his head. Empathy noticed he was hyper-aware of the emotion reeking off of Faith. He worried for his friend who seemed quite confused in his arms but deemed it not too intense to be truly bothersome.

Several loud bangs broke this period of growth. Faith looked around, they were in a room similar to the classroom Thomas had just been inside. Desks were placed nicely in rows and chairs were scattered everywhere.  _ A memory _ , something in Faith’s mind told him. The pounding was coming from the door on the other side of the room. Despite his better judgment, Faith felt he’d be safe in here so he called out, “Come in!” The door opened and another kid that looked just like Faith and Empathy entered. Two other people come in as well. Faith could spot a fourth person staying by the doorway. The first one, a kid swathed in pastel blue with a felt blanket tied around his neck came forward. “HI! I’m Morality! You can call me Pattin’ though! Those people behind me are Greed and Pride! We’re here to welcome you two to the mindscape! Would you mind following me?” Empathy nodded in Faith's arms and grabbed Patton’s outreached hand, allowing himself to be lead out of the room. Faith kept back a bit, unsure of this new person. He was certainly not immediately dangerous, but Faith still had little idea of his intentions. Instead, he stayed close to the other two. The one Patton seemed to call Greed was glaring at Pride as if Pride was some disgusting food item on a pantry. They must have a history.

Patton led them into a giant room with several large couches, a fireplace, and a huge fuzzy rug. There were even more people in the room, they seemed to section themselves into four separate groups. The first of them was made up of four people, a boy in a white prince outfit that looked like it was bought from a costume store, another one was in really formal clothing, a shirt that buttoned up and dress pants. The other two wore casual clothing, the shorter of the two had a green tank top and shorts while the last sported a neon yellow hoodie with jeans.

The second group was smaller, consisting of two kids also of everyone else’s general age. One had high reaching dress pants that a blue button-down tucked loosely in. He had a calm air about him that Faith immediately liked. He seemed the person you’d go to when you needed someone to listen to your problems. The other one was everywhere. He had a red baseball cap turned backward, a dark purple vest over a pastel blue blouse, and high boots tucked over black and orange striped leggings. He seemed to be everywhere at once, one moment speaking to the other person of the pair, the next hanging off a banister. Faith worried he’d end up hurting himself with how fast he was moving.

Faith turned to assess one of the two largest groupings in the room, they seemed the most out of place in the room. All five of them flickered in and out of transparency, seemingly unnoticed. All of them wore variants of the same t-shirt and jeans, with the exception of head accessories. Faith listed them in his head for later reference,  _ sunglasses, headband, bandana, beanie, and tie-on hood _ . Finally, Faith took a good look at the last cluster of people.

They were five in all, they were arguably the scariest out of everyone. Each hung around lazily, shooting nasty glares everywhere, but mostly at the pair sitting on the couch. Come to speak of it, even the group of four Faith had first noticed were giving those two looks. Faith spent little time looking at this last group, they reeked of power and gave an air of, “don’t mess with me, maggots.”

Patton seemed undeterred, “Welcome to the mindscape’s conference room! I don’t really know what a real conference room looks like, but this seems comfortable, doesn’t it?” Empathy nodded quickly and gave a small smile toward the grinning side. Greed groaned from Faith’s left he walked over to the large group of delinquents with a simple, “If this is what you call comfortable you must be dumber than I thought.” At that, the kid in the prince costume suddenly had a sword in his hand, “If that’s what you call manners, you don’t want to be rude to him. Else, you will no longer have a head, you vile creature!” The formally dressed side put a hand on the prince’s shoulder, “Roman, calm yourself, think of the first impression you’re giving the new kids.” Roman blushed and put the sword away, nodding an apology to Faith and Empathy.

Pride sighed a little before moving to the center of the room, facing Faith, “Anyways, today is kinda a big day for you two. The mindscape is effectively categorized by functionality. Today you’ll be sorted into your peers. Logic, would you like to explain each group?” The person that had corrected Roman nodded and adjusted his glasses.

“My name is Logic, otherwise known as Logan. I’m a member of what we call the Light Sides. Essentially we are the dominant sides that are seen as virtues or productive by society. You’ve already met Patton, who is one of us. Then there is Creativity, Loyalty, and Openness.” Each side named gave a smile and a soft wave. “Then, there are our polar opposites. The Dark Sides are not generally seen as positive influences in people, their main function is to keep Thomas from acting out on the primal instincts that would otherwise be unchecked,” Logan pointed to the large group. Faith had a feeling there was more to them that Logan let on, the disgust was not well hidden in his voice. “Their names are Greed, Cruelty, Unruliness, Sloth, Cowardice, and Envy.”

“What about the rest of you guys?” Empathy spoke up. Logan smiled slightly at the new side’s curiosity.

“Well, those are the other less extreme groups. Those two over there and Pride are also Sides like us, they just lay somewhere between Light and Dark so they deemed themselves the gradients.”

“Wait, wait, wait. Sides?” Faith had been using the term internally for some time but never really took a moment to think what the word meant. Logan adjusted his glasses and took a moment to collect an explanation, “Sides, for lack of a better explanation, are sections of a human’s personality. Like how Roman over here represents Thomas’s creativity and his sense of romanticism, as confusing as it is. From the looks of it, you two are also sides. The other group here are not sides, they’re what we call ‘Brain Functions.’ Remy here for example,” Logan gestured to Sunglasses, “Is Sleep. He initiates the function of sleep for Thomas while Polka,” Logan gestured to Beanie, “Is Thomas’s movement. Athletic ability and the like.”

“Alright, that makes sense I guess. So, what now?” Faith glanced around the room again, all eyes were on him and it made him very uncomfortable. Empathy had moved behind him as well to get away from the looks. Roman laughed slightly, “Well, now you mingle! The best way to find where you will fit in is to get to know everybody!” To add onto his outburst, Roman walked over and grabbed Empathy’s hand, leading him over to the “Light Sides.”

“Come on, I wanna talk to you for a bit! Your performance with calming Thomas was spectacular! You may be the knight we’re looking for!” Faith immediately started to panic as Empathy was lead away, he was the one person in this room he felt he could trust. As he started to follow him, a hand was put on his shoulder, “Hey kid, don’t go mingling with those ‘Light Sides’, they’re nothing but egotistical dummies. You seem smart, you can tell, right?” Faith jumped and turned over to the person behind him. It was one of the Dark Sides, Faith faintly remembered him being called Envy. He seemed faintly approachable, mainly due to his sheer unthreatening appearance. To call Envy skinny would be like calling fire hot. He wore really baggy clothing that seemed to be practically falling off of him and he gave Faith a faint smile.

“U-Uh, I don’t know. I haven’t really spoken to any of them other than Morality,” Faith stammered slightly as the other Dark Sides appeared to close in, the side called Cruelty taking over for Envy.

“That doesn’t really matter anyway, kid. Trust us, the other two groups are awful. Envy’s description of the Lights is completely accurate and the Gradients…”

“To put it nicely, they’re confused Ninny Muggins who can’t accept that they’re either acceptable or hated by society. Hell, even the ‘wondeful light sides’ hate them. They’re too unpredictable to trust either,” A third Dark Side, Cowardice spoke up from the edge of the group. When everyone turned to look at him, he shied away, “Or that’s what I’ve heard?”

Cruelty spoke up, “No! You’re completely right!”

This whole conversation ticked Faith off a bit. These guys had no respect at all. In fact, the Gradients seemed like they were the most level-headed sides here. Nobody is truly Black or White! Anyways, it wasn’t something to avoid or distrust somebody over. “As if you guys know a thing about trust,” he muttered under his breath. Unfortunately, Sloth seemed to pick it up.

“What was that new guy? You saying you know more about the subject than you? Who are you anyway?” Faith jumped a little, waving his hands about, trying to come up with an excuse. He had a feeling it would not be a good idea to tell him he was something as lighthearted sounding as Faith, despite its deeper meanings. In his panic, he quickly assessed every possible response and as he came to a dignified decision of telling the truth, his instinct decided to take over, “I’m Thomas’s concept of truth and lies, don’t really have a proper name yet. Now if you don’t back off, I’ll tell you thinks about yourselves that will have you cowering in your beds reevaluating life for weeks!” He snapped a hand to his mouth as the lie spilled out his lips. He hadn’t meant to say that. He looked up fearfully to Cruelty, arguably the most dangerous one of the group for any signs of screw up.

Instead of anger, Faith was met with a delighted look, “Now that’s more like it! So you’re like, Thomas’s ability to decide between truth and lies, right? So you must be like, Deceit or something! That decides it, you’re sticking with us kid!” All protests were drowned out as every Dark Side in the roomed cheered and Unruliness started shouting.

“And we only grow stronger! Suck it losers!”  _ Well, this is my life now, I guess, _ Faith, now apparently called Deceit sighed inwardly,  _ at least I fit in with a definitive group, it seems like you don’t get treated well as a Gradient anyways _ . The rest of the room groaned and somebody complained, “Again? I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d call Thomas a bad person for all these Dark Sides popping up.” That got a reaction from a few Light Sides who quickly shut the whole idea down.

“Anyways!” Patton nervously laughed, “We still have one more undecided side! Who can tell who they’ll be with!” AT that, everyone turned to Empathy who from the looks of it, had been talking to Patience and Impulse. “W-Well, I have decided. I-I think the best place for me would be-” His voice faded into silence and Faith could see that he was looking at Pride for some help. Oh no, not him.

Pride smiled and pulled the small side closer, “This nervous ball of fun here is sticking with us Gradients! So hah, we grow in number!” A ball of dread settled in Faith’s stomach, Empathy couldn’t handle being targeted by both the Lights and the Dark Sides! He was to open, vulnerable, and trusting! Before he could start to argue, Logan spoke up, “Well, I suppose that settles things. Everybody head back to your mind palace, and you two with the new arrivals, please give them a run through of how Thomas’s mindscape works, please.” He then turned and followed Loyalty out the door to the left. Come to think of doors, he was being led by Greed and Cruelty towards the door he had entered from. Empathy was walking casually with the Gradients through a door on the right. His face was physically turned away from the sight by Sloth.

“Kid, he’s with the Gradients now, there is nothing you can do anymore. I get it, I came out of conceptuality with Loyalty. He’s like a brother, but unfortunately, he fits in better with the Light Sides. It’s a fact of like you’ll accept Deceit.”

“But… He doesn’t, he can’t!” Empathy deserved better than that! He needed protection he needed-

“Deceit! I get that you have some sort of bond with him, but forget about it. He’s Gradient. He either chooses a side or faces the consequences. It was his choice.” Faith sighed in defeat. But if only he could somehow change Empathy’s mind…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that took so long guys! The holidays have me in a crazy state of being. Also, may have had a tad bit of writer's block but it's gone now! Anyways, feel free to comment any comments, questions, or critiques below! I'd be happy to answer them.


	4. Update to be deleted later

Hey readers! I'm so sorry for the long delay. Life decided that it was a good time for a mid-life crisis. It's been over for like a week so I can continue writing. Now, I am doing some edits of minor/major details in the previous two chapters before I upload chapter 3. This is due to my taking time to plot out ever minor and major character and how my world I'm making works. I thought of so many new ideas, I've had to re write a few scenes and the plot changed a little. In fact, I've grown to love my babies you've hardly seen yet so I may do side stories or a one-shot book when I'm done. But for now, I need to finish 3 and update the previous two chapters. Chou!


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